Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, 11 December 2025 – A year in the industry that never sleeps often feels like dog years. Everything moves faster than you expect; the highs are exhilarating, the challenges arrive without warning – either tripping you up or even smacking you in the face, and the workload expands just when you think you are finally over the last hill. As we close the chapter on 2025, there is time to reflect on a year that pushed us, stretched us, rewarded us and reminded us why this industry remains one of Fiji’s most extraordinary national strengths. We celebrated record numbers and navigated stubborn issues in equal measure, even as we kept steadily preparing for the opportunities that 2026 now places before us. It has been a year of testing and a year of dogged persistence, which is exactly the combination that makes this industry as compelling as it is demanding – and never without its exhaustive highs and lows.
Nothing captures the story of 2025 better than our September quarter, because it was expected by many to be a flat year that might at best be on par with 2024. But this was the highest-earning quarter ever recorded, with earnings growing by 25% even though arrivals have thus far only grown by 2%. Visitors arrived in often hard-to-explain highs during months that should have been lows, flights were full depending on the sector and season, and operators across the board felt a level of confidence that had been steadily building for months. The MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) segment has helped to grow numbers in the shoulder and low seasons. Fiji Airways has once again played a pivotal role, though it remains underappreciated by many who assume that national ownership grants us the authority to dictate business operations we have little to no experience in. Yet, through the opening of new routes and the strengthening of our global connectivity, the airline continues to shape Fiji’s future prospects in ways that will endure for years to come. Those globally recognised accolades reinforce the airline’s temerity and grit in the face of intense competition, underscoring its ability to not only withstand industry pressures but to thrive and set new benchmarks for excellence. It remains the iconic little island airline that can deliver big airline dreams on global platforms, and Fiji’s tourism industry and, by default, the national economy, have reaped the rewards.
Behind hard-won battles for convincing global travellers to select Fiji as a preferred destination were also hard realities we cannot continue to ignore. While demand continues to outpace room supply during the high seasons, we must find innovative solutions to stimulate and spread tourism more evenly across the lower seasons. At the same time, we are losing ground in our core markets of Australia and New Zealand to cheaper destinations, while the struggle to access higher-skilled workers continues – despite the vacuous promises often heard in Parliament.
This year, we gained some new perspectives – not all of which were pleasant realisations. Tourism now extends to its far-reaching supply networks and continues to be largely misunderstood by policy writers who do not appreciate the 24 hour/7 7-day-a-week nature of business operations. This constant cycle demands round-the-clock staffing, infrastructure reliability, and regulatory flexibility. Yet it continues to be treated as a “single industry” rather than the cross-sectoral ecosystem it is, constantly flexing its resilience in the face of domestic and global challenges that often require very specific solutions that must continue to evolve. Unlike the public sector, tourism never follows a “one size fits all” mantra, because it is about matching each traveller with the product or service that best suits their needs and aspirations. A marketing model that succeeds for a particular segment, season, or region must be continuously refined – adjusted to shifting market conditions, evolving country dynamics, and emerging global trends. This constant recalibration is what keeps tourism competitive, relevant, and resilient in an ever-changing landscape. Ignore this, and we die a not-so-quiet death. With the ripple effects obviously extending nationally as well.
The industry must move at global speed to compete with confidence, yet domestically we are constantly slowed by policy drags, stalled reform frameworks, investment bottlenecks, and the snail’s pace of regulatory approvals. I admit to ongoing frustration at the lack of traction – especially when it is clear how much this holds us back economically. But advocacy is never a one-off. It is relentless, strategic, and often painfully slow-burning. There is no doubt that this theme will continue to be an undercurrent in 2026, but “progress belongs to those who refuse to quit”.
Our policy work over the last year has certainly seen this. Our involvement in the review of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill and the Work Care Bill demanded many hours, many meetings and many difficult conversations. Sitting on the Employment Relations Advisory Board ensured that the views of tourism and its vast supplier network employers were not lost in the tug of competing priorities, and I am proud of how firmly and constructively we stayed engaged. Immigration issues also continued to occupy much of our attention, especially with operators relying heavily on skilled foreign workers, while well-meaning labour schemes drew away experienced staff at a rate that many businesses struggled to address. And we will move into the next year reflecting on how the recently released Commercial Use of Marine Areas Bill (CUMA) that while proposing a legislative initiative for a fundamental shift in the proprietary ownership of nearshore marine areas, might also impact tourism leases, complicate accessibility to marine sites, and pose enforcement challenges if customary rights, investor interests, and regulatory capacity are not carefully balanced.
Outdated legislation has joined the growing list of areas in urgent need of reform – reforms that would enable more seamless business compliance processes and reduce unnecessary barriers. This remains a recurring theme in national efforts to improve our Ease of Doing Business rankings, highlighting the critical link between modernised regulation, investor confidence, and sustainable economic growth. The Liquor Act is a prime example of legislation that must catch up with the realities of how hotels, restaurants, and bars operate. But it has been allowed to move through a complex sequence of other regulatory approvals before compliance is deemed to be met and a license is granted. Then there is the FNU levy, which was intended to lift skill levels across industries but has instead become a considerable cost, draining critical training resources without delivering visible returns. Even the rollout of VMS has dragged on, with Phase Three looming and still no comprehensive list of accredited software solutions to support operators in achieving compliance. Further compounded by a VAT Act amendment in its 12th or 13th iteration, misaligned with industry billing practices, forcing impractical and unproductive monthly reconciliations. Additionally, the sudden, non-publicised “reinterpretation” of the NFA fees left many perplexed businesses paying increases of up to 500% without explanations, while the requirement to upload reams of paperwork into digital platforms has many wondering what the real benefits of digitisation really are. These are the unglamorous parts of tourism—the policy knots that must be untangled and unpacked with many processes still in place despite not making practical sense in today’s world. Communication remains poor between our policy makers, regulatory bodies and the business operators.
Alongside policy, this was also a year marked by growing concern over sustainability and infrastructure. New hotels are rising rapidly, with others awaiting regulatory approvals to allow them to commence construction – positive signs of investor confidence and demand being addressed through development incentives. Yet, the strain on wastewater systems, access to clean water and affordable housing (where will all the workers for the new hotels live?) have remained obvious and pressing challenges. Without parallel investment in essential infrastructure, the risk is that growth outpaces capacity, undermining both community wellbeing and the long-term sustainability of tourism and its ripple effect on the economy. These issues must be tackled head-on if we are to ensure that expansion translates into resilience rather than fragility. We cannot add thousands of new rooms without thinking about how we capture, store and recycle water, or how we make getting to and from work, school and shopping areas more practical. Or whether we can sustain increased commercial activity with the reciprocal increase in workers and their families, who, with increasing earning capacities, will want to purchase their own cars and homes.
Marine tourism operators raised their own concerns about compliance—a reminder that our oceans and reefs demand stronger protections if they are to remain the foundation of countless livelihoods. These livelihoods extend beyond tourism to include fisherfolk, island and coastal communities, and the ocean’s vital role in nurturing tidal systems, balancing marine ecosystems, and mitigating climate change. Yet littering has once again surfaced as an ingrained, nasty, national habit – polluting rivers, estuaries, and coastal environments that should be far cleaner. This reality makes our ongoing support of the National Sustainable Tourism Framework even more critical. Hosting the GSTC global conference was a significant milestone for Fiji, signalling to the world that we take sustainability seriously- even if we still face a long, litter-strewn road ahead.
And through it all, we have maintained a key point in every conversation: our culture is not a side act, nor something we add for flavour. It is the soul of Fiji’s tourism experience. Preserving and elevating it is part of the sustainability journey as well. The more we diversify beyond the social and economic benefits across the country, the stronger our cultural roots remain.
The social side of the industry also had its moments of pride and connection. Celebrating International Women’s Day reminded me again of the extraordinary women who lead, manage, innovate and inspire across our sector. I meet them everywhere, from hotel boardrooms to dive shops and in the many talk-fest forums we’re obliged to attend. Our Tourism Leaders Breakfast with the Deputy Prime Minister offered a rare chance for direct dialogue to share experiences and hear about the ongoing efforts to address many of these that are already known. These engagements shift perceptions and create wider understanding to build trust and partnerships.
We’ve worked hard to connect with, deepen relationships, and even pick the odd fight with stakeholders that might not be considered critical to tourism but are very much part of the many we interact with. These include the Fiji Met Service, FRCS, the Ministries for Tourism, Trade, Health, Agriculture, Finance, Environment, Employment, Local Government and Infrastructure, MSAF, Fiji Police and the SG’s Office. The hyperbaric chamber outreach became an unexpected but important link between health and tourism safety, especially for our marine sector. And when a nasty flu bug swept through parts of the country earlier in the year, we found ourselves reminding operators to protect both staff and guests. Those health messages often feel outside our usual remit, but are part of the ecosystem that keeps tourism operating safely.
All of this unfolded in a year when FHTA proudly marked its sixtieth anniversary. Sixty years of industry collaboration is no small milestone – especially for an organisation that has had to evolve with every shift in the tourism landscape. By engaging more deeply in critical areas and having fought hard to remain visible and heard, we have ensured we were creatively responsive to the real challenges operators face. Sometimes we won, and sometimes we got a bloody nose getting a point across – but we always got back up again. Not content with simply listening, we have delved through miles of legislation, questioning – always questioning – in curious and sometimes incredulous ways (the battle to negate the “one stop shop/one size fits all” drama is real), to uncover the innovative solutions required for the progress Fiji envisions in its National Development Plan. What achievements there were in 2025 came from an industry that refuses to settle, even when obstacles loom large, and progress feels painfully slow. That resilience, that collective determination, is what continues to drive tourism forward and will shape its future for decades to come.
Because tourism is never just about the hotels, with over 70% of tourism businesses overwhelmingly local, most of them SMEs. The demand for accessible training, scalable funding opportunities, and a deeper understanding of sustainability to protect our future resources means we now have both the platform and the momentum to move to the next stage. That next stage is about building a tourism ecosystem that is more inclusive, resilient, and future-ready: where SMEs are empowered to innovate, where workforce skills are continuously elevated, where sustainability is embedded into every operation, and where infrastructure and policy align to support growth without compromising our natural and cultural assets. It is about shifting from expansion alone to transformation – ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach wider communities, strengthen local economies, and safeguard Fiji’s unique environment for generations to come.
Now, as we look toward 2026, I feel the familiar mix of excitement and determination that tends to define this work. Our biennial tradeshow, HOTEC 2026, is already taking shape. We want it to be a bigger, bolder and more innovative showcase of what the industry can and should embrace. Sponsorship conversations have begun, and the appetite is promising. Tourism Fiji’s annual tourism event (FTE) and the regional version – SPTO’s SPTE will once again place Fiji and the Pacific as prime destinations for global audiences, and this time we go in with a renewed confidence backed by strong results, expanded connectivity and new rooms finally entering the market. Growth forecasts for next year are optimistic for good reason. But growth alone is not the goal. Sustainable and inclusive growth is. Growth that does not break our infrastructure or exhaust our workforce is – or that provides infrastructure planners with advance notice on where demand will be. Our advocacy will continue to drive the conversations that must be had and keep pushing for reforms that clear the pathway for more local and foreign investment.
In between now and when we take up these conversations just as strongly next year, we wish all our readers a safe and joyous Christmas season with your loved ones. As well as wishing you all a successful and prosperous new year.
Fantasha Lockington – CEO, FHTA (Published in the Fiji Times on 11 December 2025)
Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association
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